No dragons, wizards or orcs. No demons, elves or hobbits. No wraiths, magical weapons or treasure chests sitting in deep, monster-filled dungeons. Warhorse Studios, the start-up indie made up of former Mafia and Operation Flashpoint devs, won’t be putting any of the classic fantasy elements into their first game. In fact, they’re shooting for the opposite of fantasy in their “realistic Medieval open-world RPG,” Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Warhorse is building Kingdom Come: Deliverance on CryEngine 3, they promise “revolutionary first-person melee combat,” and they’re shooting for a 2015 release on PC and next-gen consoles. Here’s their pitch:

Rooted within the Holy Roman Empire during the late Middle Ages, Kingdom Come: Deliverance promises a first-person seat to a harsh and brutal power struggle for the throne. As players traverse expansive, strikingly detailed locales, they’ll grapple with a range of period-accurate fighting techniques, horseback combat, open-field sieges, and large-scale battles, all while developing relationships and a reputation that will inform the greater story. Kingdom Come: Deliverance promises no magic, high fantasy or mythical overtones – it draws its inspiration instead from historically authentic characters, themes, and warfare.

Nice to see some growth in a relatively untapped genre, particularly when its close cousin, fantasy RPGs, are everywhere. I wonder, though, if Warhorse will be able to deliver first-person melee combat that actually works well. Many have tried. Many have failed.

That’s all we’ve got on Deliverance at this point, aside from the teaser trailer below. We’ll keep you posted.

“If it’s free it’s for me.” That was one of Nana Sharkey’s most oft-repeated catch phrases and a good indication of her frugal lifestyle. And even though she never played a videogame in her life, she’d be all over the new deal from Green Man Gaming and the Golden Joystick Awards.

CVG’s Golden Joysticks are in their 31st year, and this time around, they’re soliciting votes across 15 different categories with a nice little incentive. Fill out an online ballot and you’ll receive your choice of Civilization V or Mafia 2 on Steam for free.

Details: you’ve got to be over 16 years old, and you must vote and fully fill out a “Thank you for participating form.” In that form, you must enter a valid email address, register an account with Green Man Gaming, and opt-in to receive promo messages from the online games retailer. Do that all before October 20 and you’ll receive your free game code within two days. Of note: Green Man says there are a limited number of codes and they must be redeemed on Steam by October 25.

Developers from 2K Czech, Bohemia Interactive and a number of other studios based in the Czech Republic have announced a new venture, Warhorse Games. Though they have not yet announced the specifics of their first game, anticipation builds. Members of the group have worked on the Operation Flashpoint, Arma, and Mafia series’, representing a sort of Central European game design dream team.

Based on the pedigree of Warhorse’s new staff members, people are predicting a realistic open world with plenty of attention to detail. As our E3 Arma III preview and Mafia 2 Playboys guide make clear, they are certainly qualified to create one. Based on the name and the art the studio released as part of their rollout, people are predicting a medieval setting. If Warhorse’s new title boasts the immaculate research and ambiance of Mafia and Arma, we can’t wait to play it.

If you haven’t played the 2K title that puts you into the shoes of a war hero turned wise guy, now’s your chance to pick it up for cheap. Instead of the normal $30 price tag, it’s knocked down to $7.50 until Friday at 7 PM EST (4 PM PST).

You can also pick up the Digital Deluxe Edition for $10 instead of the usual $40. The Deluxe Edition includes some extras like a digital art book, soundtrack, and the Made Man pack (a couple of extra cars and a tux).

If you haven’t heard enough about Mafia 2, or if you’ve forgotten it all, maybe our review will refresh your memory.

Buy.com has a great deal on Mafia II today: $19.99 and free shipping for the Xbox 360 version. That’s $20 off Buy.com’s listing and $10 less than the game is listed for on BestBuy.com.

You can also stop get the PC version of the game for about $26, although there’s no mention of the Playstation 3 version on the discounted Xbox 360 listing. Both are great prices, and especially since Buy.com’s budget shipping is comped.

Humor is an underrated quality in games — they seem to be getting more serious and stentorian by the year. 2010 had some humorous high points, including the re-release of classic LucasArts comic capers Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. A lot of the side-splitting fare seemed to appear in games that are otherwise quite serious. Let’s see what the Gamefront staff has to say…

Mafia II

Ben Richardson’s Pick
I’ve already waxed complimentary about Mafia II’s writing, but nevertheless I found it particularly compelling when it came to the humor. Mob dramas since the beginning of time (significantly The Sopranos) have shown the importance of jokes and “breaking balls” to the criminal fraternity, and the game‘s writing really nailed this quality of la cosa nostra‘s culture and argot. It also captured the banter back and forth between protagonist Vito Scaletta and his best friend Joe Barbaro — the pair trade barbs with all the mock vitriol of lifelong acquaintances.

For sheer comedy, it’s hard to beat the scene in which Vito, fresh out of jail, gets taken to a brothel to celebrate, only to end up designated driver for Joe and the alcoholic hoodlum Eddie Scarpa. The gag reveal of a dead body in the trunk of Scarpa’s car is priceless, and the drunk mo-cap and voice acting are spot on.

Deadly Premonition

Phil Owen’s Pick
When a Japanese developer decides to make a game that is making fun of other Japanese games, it usually results in plenty o’ laughter. Half-Minute Hero was a good example of this from last year, and this year we got Deadly Premonition.

A weird mash-up of Silent Hill and the recent Resident Evil games, with a bit of Twin Peaks thrown in for good measure, Deadly Premonition is basically a jokey, Japanese Alan Wake. (That’s a weird thing to say, since Alan Wake came out a few months after this game, but the similarities are undeniable.) It’s got a protagonist who constantly addresses the player (he calls you “Zach”), wildly inappropriate music cues, and lots of the typically ridiculous dialogue one would expect from a Japanese game.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this game is playing it straight, but that’s just not the case. This game is certainly in on the joke, and what a wonderful joke it is.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare DLC

Ron Whitaker’s Pick

I was wondering how Rockstar would present its Undead Nightmare DLC. Would they take the route of a serious zombie survival story, as Left 4 Dead did, or would they go for a campier take? I was very satisfied to find it was the latter.

It didn’t take long to figure this question out, as John Marston leaves his infected wife and son hogtied with a raw steak for each of them, telling them to “Stop biting people.” They went on to make fun of classic zombie movies, with the doctor saying, “I’m going to walk down here by this dark alley, then I’ll be back. Wait here, would you?”

There’s plenty of subtle humor on display in this DLC, from the gossiping townsfolk who blame the outbreak on everything from the English to the Jews to the ridiculous stories people tell Marston in his travels. All in all, it was really a tour de force of all the great humorous moments you’ve laughed at in old horror films for years. If you’re a fan of those old horror flicks, you should really check out this DLC — it’s definitely good for a few laughs.

Mass Effect 2

Ross Lincoln’s Pick

The Mass Effect series has a very serious plot about the threat posed to Humanity (and the Milky Way galaxy as a whole) by Cthulu monsters from Beyond Infinity who want to enslave or re-purpose all organic life. It also requires you to make the effort to bond with NPC’s; in Mass Effect 2, actually play HR Rep/Counselor to them as they work out their personal issues (and thus become more effective at killing bad guys.) It’s surprisingly touching, action-packed, and addictive beyond belief. Also, no joke, the villains’ actual plot is to turn every organic species in the galaxy into space-sperm, which is genuinely creepy and kind of terrifying.

It’s also full of in-jokes, running gags, brick jokes, and plain silliness that actually adds much needed brevity and does not in any way detract from the ability to fully enjoy the more serious aspects of a game. Greatest hits include:

Blasto: The Jellyfish Stings. The Hanar are a floating, contemplative race of jellyfish-like aliens with no discernible physical prowess whatsoever. They speak in the third person and float around harmlessly. During the original Mass Effect, someone joked about ‘Blasto, the Hanar Spectre’ on the BioWare forums, and it became so popular they added the gag into Mass Effect 2. Occasionally, you’ll here a radio ad for Blasto: The Jellyfish Stings, an in-universe exploitation film that closely resembles Dirty Harry. “This one doesn’t have time for your solid waste extractions” is pure win.

“I’m Commander Shepherd, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel”. You can get discounts from certain merchants by offering to endorse their shop, and this is the line you will use for every single one. Every time you walk near the entrance, you’ll hear the recording (and the implication that every single merchant believes it’s unique). It only gets funnier the more times you hear it (booze helps).

There’s so much more than there is space to talk about it, (like Mordin singing Gilbert and Sullivan), but if you want to have the funniest possible game, play as a total renegade and witness the best dialogue ever. This video shows you why.

Unlockables are almost de rigeur these days, with developers exploiting our obsessive-compulsive tendencies to ensure that we’re playing their games for longer amounts of time, while paying greater amounts of attention. Not all unlockables are created equal, however, so below we’ve highlighted some of the best.

Dead Rising 2 Combo Cards

Ben Richardson’s Pick

These don’t fall under the strictest possible definition of an unlockable, but they went a long way towards making the game as fun as it was. Dead Rising 2 is all about being creative with your carnage, and the sequel upped the ante on the original by extending that creativity to the combination of items, not just their selection. Some of the combos are outrageously awesome (the Paddlesaw), some utilitarian (the Spiked Bat), while others are just silly (see the Fountain Lizard, above).

Nevertheless, the mark of a good unlockable is that it changes the way you play the game, and changes it for the better. Dead Rising 2′s combo cards (and the combos they enable) pass this test with flying colors. I was constantly seeking new ways jury-rig a zombie death machine, and my inventory was always crowded with items that I had snagged in hopes of attaching them to their partners sometime later on. I didn’t come close to finding all the cards, but the ones I did manage to unlock led to hours of blood-soaked enjoyment.

Epic Mickey’s Cartoons

Phil Hornshaw’s Pick

Despite all the levels to wade through and the collectibles to grab, Disney Epic Mickey doesn’t give you a whole lot. You collect pins — which are totally meaningless — and you can get “extra content,” which is basically concept art that gets doled out on a piecemeal basis. Then there are film reels, which are super-easy to snag and good for a few in-game rewards, but ultimately nothing all that exciting.

Except when the game occasionally throws in full-length, super-old Disney cartoons.

Collect enough reels (there are a ton, and it’s really easy) and turn them in to a certain character in the game’s main town, and suddenly, two cartoons are unlocked in Epic Mickey’s main menu. They’re not especially difficult to get, but as far as unlockables go, these are two pretty awesome ones, especially for big-time Disney fans. You can watch the cartoons from the menu and they play just as well as you’d expect. One’s an old Mickey Mouse cartoon, “The Mad Doctor,” which gives a little insight into the titular character, who plays a fairly substantial role in the game.

The other cartoon, and the one that really makes this a worthwhile pursuit, is an old Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short. Epic Mickey creator Warren Spector has made a big deal out of Oswald, and in terms of Disney lore, there’s a good reason — Oswald is Mickey Mouse if Mickey Mouse had never been invented. He was a huge star in the late 1920′s, then disappeared because of a rights dispute. Almost 80 years later, the Oswald cartoon you can watch is a pretty extreme rarity, and the ability to catch it in a video game is actually fairly remarkable.

Mafia II Playboys

Ron Whitaker’s Pick

For all the linearity that Mafia II offered up, the one thing that made you want to search every accessible nook and cranny was the chance of picking up a vintage Playboy mag. Sure, they stirred a lot of controversy, but they were actually just the sort of thing you would expect a wise guy getting home from the war to be collecting.

2K included them because Playboy was an icon of the 50’s. Back then, they were part of the lifestyle that everyone associated with gangsters: girls, booze, cars and sex. Playboy kind of sums that up all by itself, now doesn’t it?

Besides, you knew there was going to be a collectible in a game like this. It could have been pinstriped suits, Mama’s Italian recipes, or anything else. Wouldn’t you rather be collecting Playboys?

Red Dead Redemption Bounties

Not only are bounties a great way to made make money in RDR, they also comfortably immerse you in the game world. Nothing made me feel like an old-timey frontiersman quite like the bounties did.

If you want to do it right, you do it like this. You have a few shots of whiskey in a saloon (or MANY shots of whiskey). Gotta work up your nerve. Then you stumble out and read a “wanted” poster. Wade Bassett. $240 alive, $140 dead. “That unlucky sum’bitch is about to get a belly full of lead,” you say.

And then you’re off! Playing a bounty hunter is one of the most fun things you can do in the game. You’re kind of out for justice, but just because it pays for more whiskey, or a new rifle, or a better, faster horse. Plus, hog-tying a villain is pretty priceless.

So what makes a great game great? If you gamed in 2010, the overwhelming answer to that question was probably “make it long as possible”, since so much of the year’s output was longer than Hamlet.

Surprisingly though, a few developers disagreed and they turned out products of varying quality that seemed designed solely to defy the idea that more = more. Sure, sometimes, it was just a matter of wanting more than you got (despite having already gorged yourself), and sometimes, a game was so ridiculously short it was almost as though it were the product of generations of Scottish equestrian science. Either way, in a year where 20+ hours of gameplay is the rule rather than the exception, the short games stood out like a sore thumb chopped in half, even if they just felt short, especially if you dropped 60 bucks a pop and want to get your money’s worth for as long as possible.

So who’s right, team Length or team Brevity? Actually, Liberace was: too much of a good thing really is never enough. Here are Gamefront’s staff picks for the absurdly shortest games of 2010.

Kane and Lynch 2

Phil Owen

Look, I pay the same price at the book store for a 650-page Turtledove book as I do a 250-page Asimov book, but I’m not going to complain; Asimov is far superior to Turtledove in every way, and it doesn’t matter if he puts out something short because he’s so damn good. To continue the book analogy: Buying Kane and Lynch 2, however, is like getting a 100-page James Frey book for the same price as a 1,000-page Asimov compilation.

Believe it or not, I was pretty pumped for Kane and Lynch 2. Despite its flaws, the game’s predecessor was a quite satisfying experience, one that was full of ridiculous but quite inspired set-pieces and screamed curse words.

The day I got my copy of KL2, a friend and I got comfy on the couch, ready to get this party started. At 5:30 in the evening, we began. At 8:15, it was over.

We had completed the entire campaign in under three hours. We were unhappy, and not just because it was so short, of course; the campaign was boring as hell, too, and it failed to tell even a half-compelling story. Sheesh, guys.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed II

Phil Hornshaw

It’s kind of sad, actually. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed had potential, and while it was short, most of us had a lot of hope for a sequel that would have fixed all the compiled issues of the first title. Instead, The Force Unleashed II is brutally short; The average player can wrap it up in maybe eight hours. You can barely squeeze a weekend out of it. At the standard cost of $60, that’s an awful ripoff, even for Star Wars superfans.

Now, everybody else here will be quick to point out that length of game does not necessarily equate to its value, but I think it matters, certainly. We’re not talking about a game that was a complete experience, and yet short because that was the kind of story it told or the pace it kept. We’re talking about a really freaking short game — a game that feels like it’s short because the developer decided to include less content in the package game on purpose, as a method of cutting corners and shortchanging the player (you know, like Kane & Lynch 2). Force Unleashed II isn’t a game after which you go, “Aw, I loved it, I wish there was more.” It’s a game that feels like you got duped into buying it.

For instance, at one point, you travel to Dagobah, get out of your ship, walk about 20 paces, watch a cutscene with Yoda for no apparent reason, and then leave. The game recycles just about every single location from in the second half from the first, highlighting what feels like extreme laziness. When a rebel ship gets boarded, you go all the way through it from front to back, then all the way back to the front. The first stage has you fighting your way out of a Kamino cloning faciltiy — the last is you blasting your way back in, on the very same paths.

I can’t even understand what Lucasarts was thinking when they put this game out with so little content, especially when the last game was chided for its brevity and it was much longer than this one. Maybe they figured that putting the Star Wars brand on something will get people to buy it — I can’t think of another reason, but that makes this a fleecing of the fanbase, which is even more depressing.

Force Unleashed II would have been a stellar downloadable expansion pack for the first game. As its own disc, however, there’s no excusing its brevity and price tag.

Ross’ unsolicited opinion: What was LucasArts thinking? George needs a new diamond encrusted hot tub, that’s what. And this game shows it. Phil is absolutely right about it feeling like DLC, and the only hope is that from now on, the only company allowed to touch the Star Wars Galaxy in a video game is the one currently blowing our minds in a galaxy near, near close.

Mass Effect 2

Shawn Sines

I’ve given up. Measuring the quality of an experience by its play length is a pointless exercise, but we gamers seem to equate value with time spent. When looking back over 2010 it’s hard to think of a game that I wanted more time with than Mass Effect 2. Now wait before you shoot me, I guess I see the opposite as a good thing – if I’m not ready to leave then the game is always ridiculously short. The problem stems from the 40 hours of play time in ME2 and its DLC content.. but I guess I’m just contrary. Other than ME2 there just weren’t any titles I wasn’t ready to exit at the end.

Ross’ unsolicited opinion: I’m actually annoyed with Shawn because I was going to say something very similar about ME2. 2010 has been a year of LOOOONG games and what makes one really stand out is how, even when I’ve spent 40+ hours, for the 3rd time in a row, it’s still not enough. Maybe BioWare has invented digital cocaine, or maybe I have too much spare time, but even with a staggeringly huge main game and several lengthy DLC packs, I want more. And more. I find myself annoyed, right now, just thinking about the fact that it’s nearly 2011 and we haven’t had the second of the “bridging 2 and 3″ DLC pack. Maybe the Uncharted series has the right: literally one and done until the next sequel.

That said, BioWare, please do not interpret this in any way to mean Mass Effect 3 should be shorter, or that there should be less DLC. Just feed the addiction without judgment or restraint.

Mafia II

Ben Richardson

I honestly don’t understand the point of designing a giant open world and then doing so little with it. Mafia II kept its production values consistently high, which I’m sure will be cited as an explanation for the short single-player campaign, but the amount of content it offered out of the box was criminally small.

You’re effectively confined to following the single-player missions, which take about an hour each and do not appear in abundance. Considering all the effort that went into constructing Empire Bay from through ground up, there’s hardly anything else to do. No one’s expecting Mafia to suddenly transform into Grand Theft Auto, but a few more sidequests and mini-games would have been very, very welcome.

LIMBO

Mark Burnham

I’ve already written a fair amount about LIMBO–in my review, and I also gave it a nod for one of 2010’s hardest games. So in honor of this post, I’ll keep it short.

LIMBO is 3-5 hours long. Sneeze and you’ve beaten it. But I don’t think this is a bad thing. Afterall, a game is only “too short” when it fails to deliver value commensurate with its price tag, right? Length does not necessarily = value. We derive value in games from a whole host of factors: game mechanics, atmosphere and art direction, immersive music, story, challenge and reward, solitary moments that give you joy and remind you that to stop playing is worse than to continue.

LIMBO packs more of those moments in 5 hours than many games in 2010 did in 20+. While it certainly does end abruptly–which was kind of slap in the face–it managed to satiate and entertain with minimal material.

Ross’ unsolicited opinion: LIMBO is one of the most amazing games I have ever seen. It’s the perfect combination of stunning (and artistically innovative) graphics, truly challenging gameplay + Nintendo hardness, and pure fun. The art-deco, BandW graphics and old school platform-puzzles feel like Super Mario Jazz Age. Love it, in other words, and though my sneezes are apparently considerably shorter than Mark’s, I agree that one thing it is not is long. Most of what Mark says rings true, but the abrupt ending is the reason it’s too short, rather than just long enough. Unlike Hydrophobia, which is also way. too. f*ck*ng, short., there is no solid promise of a sequel. Whether or not the 5 hours or so before the ending is amazing, and yes, yes, a thousand million billion time yes it is, the lack of even a perfunctory “to be continued” leaves you feeling hollow and frustrated. Replay is severely diminished because no matter how much you liked it, you know how it’s going to end. The inherent frustration in the word truncated is rendered, literally. Kind of like BSG.

That said, if they announce a sequel, all is forgiven.

Halo: Reach

Ross Lincoln

Yeah, I said it. This is Halo: Reach in one sentence: Go here; shoot that; hear Nathan Fillion be awesome for 5 seconds; go there; shoot that; the vehicles are hard to control; planet falls but the good guys win strategically. Oh, also, people speak Hungarian, which would be awesome if the game had anything resembling an in-game encyclopedia like Mass Effect’s codex. But, sorry, no. Imagine if Mass Effect 2 was DLC on par with Ratchet And Clank: Quest For Booty, but you paid full price for it. Just when you’re getting into it, it’s over. Kind of like losing your virginity.

Ok, I get it: the appeal of games like Halo and most modern combat focused FPS shooters is in their multiplayer features. But I don’t like being called homophobic or racist epithets by 12 year olds*, and I actually like the satisfaction of a story well told and well played. Reach is a blast to play. The Forge is easy, fun and provides hours of non-story excitement for you and your friends. But this the vaunted prequel to the classic main series, allowing the player to experience one of the most important events in the Halo universe. So thanks for the approximately 7 hours of story guys. You’ve successfully utilized the full capacity of the Playstation One.

Look, if George Lucas had treated the horrible Star Wars Trilogy like Bungie treated Reach, the world would be better off. But Reach would have been improved by Jar Jar Binks. I loved it. I play it lots. But I really would like something more to do.

*NOTE: I am a white male. And I have still been the recipient of anonymous N-bombs on anonymous online play. WTF, America’s youth?

A game lives and dies by its protagonist. If you’re going to stare at a man’s butt for 20 hours, you should have some affinity for him, whether it derives from his insouciant attitude, his razor-sharp wit, or the hopeless circumstances he’s found himself mired in. The first-person offerings were generally underwhelming when it comes to character (with the possible exception of Sam Worthington’s pixelated-scenery-chewing performance in Call of Duty: Black Ops), so there’s been a lot of third-person butt-staring going on. Below, we’ve compiled the opinions of various staff members, on whom they think is the coolest protagonist of 2010, and why.

Vito Scaletta – Mafia II

Ben Richardson’s Pick

Great characters come to life thanks to great writing, and despite its many obvious flaws, Mafia II had some of the best writing on the market in 2010. Vito’s dialogue was believable, period-appropriate, and laced with personality, and the banter between him and his best friend and sidekick Joe Barbaro was a pleasure to listen to. Voice actor Rick Pasqualone took advantage of his Italian-American background to deliver a hero that was authentic, gritty, and — most importantly — human.

That humanity was on display thanks to the incredible range of experiences Vito endures during the course of the game. His emotionally-trying character arc provided Pasqualone with plenty “to sink his teeth into,” as they say in the biz. Regardless of what you think about his actions and decisions at the end of the game, through all the sadness, frustration, fear, anger, and good-humored outrage, Vito Scaletta was a character worth inhabiting.

John Marston – Red Dead Redemption

Phil Hornshaw’s Pick

As if this could be any more obvious. John Marston is like the Man with No Name, except you get to control him, and you get to decide if he’s a cold-blooded killer or the savior of the distressed and disenfranchised. And the man can take on a bear with a knife.

It’s rare to create a hero that can be both bad and good at the same time, but Rockstar has it down to a science. Despite Marston’s faults, he still has a quiet integrity, even if you decide to take him straight into shoot-everyone-in-the-head territory. There’s just something uncontrollably awesome about a man who will politely threaten to shoot you for insulting him. Marston doesn’t need quips and one-liners: he’s not educated, he just pays attention, and it’s hard not to find admirable traits in someone who generally chooses to keep his mouth shut and his eyes open. Video games could learn a thing or two about protagonists from looking his way.

Sam Gideon – Vanquish

Phil Owen’s Pick

Sam is a cyborg who wears a crazy robot suit that uses magic to create weapons out of thin air. He has a gravelly voice. He don’t take no s**t from the old man in charge. When he decides to take a break from destroying evil Red Russian robots (which he does whenever he feels like it, even if the fighting hasn’t stopped), he smokes a cigarette.

Has there ever been a character in any work of fiction as cool as that? It’s worth playing Vanquish just to experience that amazingness.

Commander Shepard – Mass Effect 2

Shawn Sines’ Pick

Commander Shepard is my protagonist of choice, despite the fact that he/she is meant to be a bit of an everyman. In Mass Effect 2, the character felt a bit less generic to me. Maybe it was the connection I felt, having played this character through the original game and then imported him into this latest adventure, but at the end, I found myself really caring about Shepard’s ultimate fate.

I knew I could die permanently at the end, but I was working so hard to keep every crew member alive — I even managed to save all but one on my first play through. The heroism of protagonists like Shepard is reflected in their actions and their companions, and if my friends are any indication, I made a darned inspirational Shepard.

The fact that I thought of the game character as an extension of myself is a feat not many games replicate. Sure, Kratos or Nathan Drake are cool characters but I never lost myself in either of their tales. Bring on Mass Effect 3 — I want to know where Shepard goes next!

Sam Fisher – Splinter Cell: Conviction

Mark Burnham’s Pick
The old Sam Fisher was quiet. He preferred shadows, stealth, patience, x-ray googles, and tranq darts over legitimate firearms. He followed Third Echelon’s orders, but he did it with style. He had his own unique brand of badassery, to be sure. But in Splinter Cell: Conviction, that Fisher is gone. The new Fisher is a very fast, very violent man. He has nothing to lose, and no orders to follow. He’s packing actual heat this time. He snaps necks, performs rapid headshots and throws people out of windows. They took his daughter –the gloves are off.

Basically, Fisher’s transformation mirrors the friction experienced by those anti-heroes who stray off the passive path in the direction of violence. Film comparisons are easy. Wyatt Earp in Tombstone. William Wallace in Braveheart. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, in The Lord of the Rings. It’s a powerful device, and one that Fisher wears well. It’s something I think we wished he would do all along, and it’s what you want all those other anti-heroes to do while you watch.

Conviction-Fisher is one of the strongest characters of the year, because he legitimately builds upon his past and interacts with it in ways that are fun and compelling for the player.

]]>http://www.gamefront.com/coolest-gaming-protagnoists-of-2010/feed/0Buy an eVGA GeForce 400 Card, Get Mafia II Freehttp://www.gamefront.com/buy-an-evga-geforce-400-card-get-mafia-ii-free/
http://www.gamefront.com/buy-an-evga-geforce-400-card-get-mafia-ii-free/#commentsThu, 02 Sep 2010 17:40:45 +0000Shawn Sineshttp://news.filefront.com/?p=54508eVGA makes some pretty awesome video cards, so it’s not a hard choice if you’re in the market for the latest Nvidia line to pick a vendor who wants to give you something back. eVGA has a limited number of Steam codes for Mafia II they are handing out to registered video card buyers in the next few days.

If you’re buying a card right now or just bought one you should definitely check out eVGA’s website to see if you qualify to get a free game along with a video upgrade.

Mafia 2 has been out a week, and it’s giving gamers a chance to work their way into the ranks of the mob.

If you’ve finished it up already, 2K has some new work for you to do. The second DLC for Mafia 2, titled Jimmy’s Vendetta, will be released next Tuesday, September 7. The pack contains 30 new missions for you to work through.

If you own the PS3 version of Mafia 2, you should be familiar with Jimmy, who was the star of the first DLC, The Betrayal of Jimmy, which was a PS3 exclusive.

If you haven’t picked up Mafia 2 yet, you can find out a little more about it by checking out our review.

If you’ve already picked it up and you’re stuck, we’ve got you covered. Check out these guides to find your way:

What we have here is a game that is unusual. It’s an open-world game, but it’s very linear all the same, not unlike Crysis. A chapter begins, typically, when the main character, Vito, wakes up and gets a phone call. You want me to meet you somewhere, Joe? OK. You go meet Joe or whoever, do something, shoot some guys and go back home and go to bed. Chapter over. There’s not gonna be much dicking around on the player’s part, because there’s not much dicking around that you can do aside from robbing stores for little money or running over pedestrians in your car. The only extra thing I ever did after a mission was go to the store and buy a new outfit with my hard-earned cash from the day.

The story is pretty slight. It’s a typical coming-up-in-the-mob tale, and it takes elements from most mafia movies you’ve seen, but it still manages to surprise in some very pleasing ways. The game opens with Vito fighting in Italy in World War II, and you actually spend an entire chapter in prison.

The game moves along at a brisk pace, and it’s a good ten hours long. In a way, they’re taking a lesson from GTA IV, which was so long and meandering that some gamers never finished it. But the story suffers because of it. At one point, while Vito and his friend Joe are driving through Empire Bay’s nicest neighborhood, and Vito says he’s gonna own a house there one day. And he does, but the game doesn’t give you time to appreciate that fact before some bad s**t goes down and you lose the house.

This is my main beef with the game. Yes, it’s all a generally pleasant experience, and the driving and fighting are, while not spectacular, efficiently executed, and the productions values are quite high, making it one of the best looking games on the 360, for sure. But the story just does not breathe, and the story is as important as anything else here.

The game has fifteen chapters, and Vito experiences a major life change about every five chapters. The problem is that the chapters are too short, usually encompassing only one event, whether it be a mission or going to a bar to pick up Joe because he’s drunk and waving a gun around. This is a big problem because the scope of the game is so large. It takes place over eight years in Vito’s life, and in order to make the player feel that, the pace of the game needed to be much more relaxed than it was.

People liked to complain about GTA IV’s time-wasting elements, like when friends would call Nico to go drinking or bowling or whatever, but those things were absolutely crucial to immersing the player in Nico’s life. Because there’s no extraneous material and because the story moves so quickly, the player is more like a spectator in Mafia II.

One big nitpick: the checkpoints in this game are horrendous. You might go through ten minutes of combat and then die, only to have to do it all over again. The worst part comes when you have to come up with about $1500 by robbing stores or crushing cars; I had robbed five or six stores, and then I got shot up by the cops. And then I had to start all over again, because the game won’t save until you get all the money and deliver it to the loan shark you owe it to. This is abuse.

So what are we left with? Mafia II, despite those flaws, is still a good game. The story is interesting and engaging, and there are some great character moments scattered throughout (my favorite is when Vito drives a couple drunk mobsters home and they sing along to Return To Me by Dean Martin). And it’s fun to play, pretty much. But while it’s ultimately a title that won’t be mentioned on best-of-the-year list come January, I doubt many folks are going to regret spending the time it takes to complete it.

Pros:
Engaging story
Interesting characters, great voice cast
Super high production values
A generally pleasant experience

Who wants to collect pigeons anyway? Open-world, sandbox-style game developers love to seed the massive universe with endless collectible categories, and Mafia 2 is no different. If you keep your eyes peeled when you’re driving around, intimidating witnesses, collecting protection money and the like, you’ll spot a huge number of Wanted Posters plastered all over.

There’s an achievement/trophy for collecting them all, and even if you’re a seasoned completionist, there are probably a couple that will evade your notice. Take advantage of our guide and snag that prize! Posters are organized by the neighborhood in which they’re found, so consult your map.

Kingston

Lubomir Dekan – In the far northwest corner of the map, at the end of a dead-end alley, on a wooden fence. You’ll find it near a large parking lot.

Lubos Kresta – On the northern border of Kingston, on a shaded wall across from a small dumpster with a lid, in a dead-end alley accessed by a gated fence.

Lubor Cerny – Just southeast of the Kresta poster, behind a shady wall in a parking lot, near a large brown/beige dumpster.

Lukas Berka – Near the Pub Tara, on the wooden fence that marks the border of an alley. The poster is directly to the right of a dumpster with some trash sticking out of it.

Lukas Kure – On the concrete boardwalk by the docks. The poster is between a fire escape and a salmon-colored structure, next to a boarded-up window.

Lenka Celvkova – In the parking lot next to Charlie’s Service garage, attached to a wooden fence.

Dipton

Matous Jezek – On the back of a brick building, in a gated alley, on the eastern edge of Dipton, right off the main street.

Martin Zavrel – Between a two-car garage and big warehouse, on the south side of Dipton. You’ll need to use a car or a kick to get the gate to the alley open. The poster is attached to one of the garage doors.

Matus Siroky – In the triangular alley complex near the bridge. This poster is on the lower, brick section of a wall, near the southwest corner of the alleys.

Daniel Capek – In the Mobil Glo area, in a narrow alley, attached to a beige wall with a fence running along the top.

Daniel Knebl – In the Mobil Glo compound, near a two-story white building, low to the ground next to a couple of dumpsters.

Greenfield

Ivo Novak – At the end of the northernmost cul-de-sac, on the south-side of the sky blue house.

Frantisek Harcar – On the wall of a garage, in an alley between that garage and the green house with brick trim, just west of the train tracks.

It seems funny now, what with an octogenarian Hugh Hefner running around on on reality TV, but in the 50′s, Playboy magazine was downright transgressive. Transgressive people (like Mafiosi) love transgressive things (like porn), and the developers of Mafia 2 struck a deal with the venerable Chicago-based publishing empire to seed their open-world game with 50 collectible issues of Playboy, to add authenticity and titillating collectible fun.

The world of the cosa nostra can be distracting, and once the game hits its stride, it’ll be easy to overlook a lot of magazine-snagging opportunities. Take advantage of this guide and avoid missing out; all the Playboys are listed below.

Chapter 2

Playmate #1 – Lying on the edge of of Joe’s coffee table. You can see it in the photo above.

Playmate #3 – In a three-bay garage next to Mike’s shop. On the second level of a set of shelves, below some boxes, next to some yellow cans.

Chapter 3

Playmate #4 – In the entrance hall of Maria Angelo’s apartment building, on the floor behind a small cabinet.

Playmate #5 – In the Industrial Specialist office, across from the Director’s office (the one with they key in it). The magazine is on a window ledge, to the right of the doorway.

Playmate #40 – On the edge of the Security Guard’s kiosk, in the main hall, on the first floor of the building.

Playmate #6 – In the basement of the building, on the floor of the cavernous storage room. Keep an eye out to your left as you enter — the magazine is lying between the first two shelves.

Chapter 4

Playmate #9 – In a box of magazines, on the landing of the first stairwell that leads out the bookstore.

Playmate #2 – On the bottom floor of the second stairwell leading from the bookstore, in a dark corner after four steps down. You will be able to see the police on the street from this area.

Playmate #8 – In the small building on the mall rooftop, lying on the floor next to a shelf on the right-hand wall.

Chapter 5

Playmate #11 – At the top of the stairs, after you leave the apartment.

Playmate #10 – Inside the distillery the Fat Man flees into, on the first floor, in the office. Get it on your way in, before the building catches fire.

Playmate #12 – On the fifth floor of the distillery, soon after you start escorting Henry. By a steel gate and two small wooden chairs.

Chapter 6

Playmate #13 – Behind the eastern set of bleachers, on the Northern side of the exercise yard, next to a sleeping inmate.

Playmate #14 – Behind the grey shed, just south of the basketball court.

Playmate #15 – On top of the large industrial clothes dryers.

Chapter 7

Playmate #16 – On the floor of Harry’s gun shop.

Playmate #50 – In Joe’s apartment building, at the end of the top floor’s hallway, in the corner.

Playmate #17 – In your new apartment building, on a table in the hall on the second floor.

Playmate #46 – On the kitchen table in your new apartment.

Chapter 8

Playmate #19 – In the shack, around the back of the old foundry, sitting on top of an oil drum.

Playmate #21 – Beside some oil drums on the ground, outside the foundry. Keep an eye out just after you deal with the sniper on the catwalk.

Playmate #20 – In a narrow alley towards the end of the foundry level. The magazine is underneath an old cot, next to a fire.

Chapter 9

Playmate #41 – On the bar, in front of the beer taps.

Playmate #23 – In the tunnel to the left of the area in which you experience an unpleasant sewage shower.

Playmate #22 – On the floor of the first room you enter in the slaughterhouse, next to the second metal bin on the left.

Playmate #24 – In the back corner of the slaughterhouse, by some hanging carcasses, on the left-most of two sets of shelves.

Chapter 10

Playmate #25 – On the desk, in the office, in the back of the laundry section. The guy sitting next to it doesn’t seem to care.

Playmate #27 – When you’re following John up the stairwell, head downstairs momentarily, until your way is barred at 16. The magazine is on the floor.

Playmate #26 – Near the generator that powers the window-washing lift.

Playmate #48 – On the tile floor of the bathroom connected to your bedroom.

Chapter 11

Playmate #47 – On the windowsill, on the second-floor gallery of the house.

Playmate #29 – On top of a wicker hamper, in the second floor’s back bathroom.

Playmate #28 – In a room directly across the hallway from the open front door, in the mod apartment, next to a guy who’s passed-out.

Playmate #49 – On the floor next to Joe’s bed.

Playmate #30 – Under a box, in the dead-end hallway in Pub Tara.

Chapter 12

Playmate #32 – On the ground, southwest from where you meet the Chinese guide, next to a delivery truck and a stack of crates.

Playmate #31 – At the end of the nearby dead-end alley, in a corner, behind a dumpster.

Playmate #33 – In the warehouse you follow Henry into, on the floor near the green power unit, on the right.

Chapter 13

Playmate #34 – In the Southwest corner of the Red Dragon, on the floor, next to a table.

Playmate #36 – In one of the small carrels dedicated to opium use, on top of a stack of crates.

Playmate #35 – On top of a small filing cabinet in the armory.

Chapter 14

Playmate #44 – On the rooftop, on the eastern edge of the building, on the ground.

Playmate #37 – Atop a stack of pallets, to your left once you get down the flight of burning stairs.

Playmate #38 – In the back corner of the southwestern room in the building, which contains a single adversary. Kill him first!

Chapter 15

Playmate #45 – On the floor, on the ground floor of the stairwell room.

Playmate #39 – In a nook on the western edge of the observatory’s roof.

Playmate #43 – In the room with the telescope, up against the railing of the stairs that lead downwards.